Salinas boy, 3, ran into traffic, struck by vehicle in Prunedale

PRUNEDALE &GT;&GT; California Highway Patrol officials are investigating a Wednesday afternoon traffic incident where a 3-year-old boy was hit by a Chevrolet Tahoe.

According to a witness report, the child was standing with his father next to their vehicle facing traffic. The 3-year-old boy was then seen running into traffic and directly hitting the passenger side of the Tahoe as it drove by.

The driver was going about 25 miles per hour on Camino Real North just in front of Peninsula Auto Dismantler's Inc. when the child was hit, CHP officer Jaime Rios said.

It is not yet clear if the boy went under the rear tire of Tahoe, but he was taken to Valley Medical Center to treat major head injuries, Rios said.

CHP will be looking into witness statements and a nearby surveillance camera to investigate the incident.